The
National Football Foundation (NFF) Gridiron Club of Dallas Chapter celebrated seven Texas collegiate scholar-athletes and a record 81 North Texas
high school scholar-athletes during the chapter’s ninth annual awards banquet April 2. Jackson Mitchell, former captain of the Carroll
Dragon football team, and Ryan Miller were named to the prestigious
list.

“We are
incredibly proud of this year’s scholar-athletes,” said Gerald Brence, president of the NFF
Gridiron Club of Dallas Chapter and the athletics director for the Plano
Independent School District, via press release. “In the ninth year of our
chapter, we are honoring a record number of high school scholar-athletes and
these athletes continue to impress, not only on the field competitively but
also as scholars and young community leaders. It’s always an honor to meet
these young men, showcasing the great stories in North Texas that will
inspire future student-athletes to excel in the classroom and become more
involved in their communities.”

Selected
from a pool of candidates that covers the entire region, the seven collegiate
and 81 high school players (listed below) earned NFF chapter scholar-athlete
recognition in 2017 after a rigorous review. The selection committee,
comprised of coaches, teachers, administrators and business leaders from
North Texas, evaluated the college and high school candidates based on their
athletic accomplishments, academic performance and leadership in the
community. The high school honorees will enroll in the fall at a prestigious
list of institutions, including Ivy League schools, state universities and
the service academies.

Congratulations
to the 2017 NFF Gridiron Club of Dallas Collegiate Scholar-Athletes:

Matt
Boggs - TCU

Andy
Flusche - North
Texas

Kyle
Fuller - Baylor

Branden
Hunt - Austin
College

Jackson
Mitchell - SMU

Akoakoa
Paleka-Kennedy - Midwestern
State

Christian
Rodriguez - Texas
A&M-Commerce

Congratulations to the 2017 NFF Gridiron Club of
Dallas High School Scholar-Athletes:

Ramiro
Aguilar Jr. - Dallas
Sunset

Azeez
Akande - Mesquite

Rance
Albert - Dallas
Woodrow Wilson

Colt
Atkinson - Denton

Brandon
Bascue - Flower
Mound

Trey
Bentley - Fort Worth
Diamond Hill-Jarvis

Katrell
Blakely - Mesquite
Horn

Beau
Blanton - Frisco
Wakeland

Nicholas
Bowen - Lake
Highlands

John
Brannon - Prosper

Isaiah
Brown - Dallas
Seagoville

Octavius
Brown - Dallas
Spruce

Grant
Buckholt - Rockwall-Heath

Austin
Buley - McKinney
Boyd

Kizmarion
Burns - Dallas
Carter

Grant
Buss - Frisco
Liberty

Caleb
Carlile - Waxahachie

Kendall
Catalon - Mansfield
Legacy

Eric
Cato - Dallas
Samuell

Marquis
Clark - Dallas
Molina

Dillon
Davis - Aledo

Michael
Dearman - Crandall

Damian
English - Dallas
Life School Oak Cliff

Kamron
Fields - Garland
Lakeview Centennial

Rocky
Fraid - Carrollton
Creekview

Stephen
Gibbs - Dallas James
Madison

Jordan
Gomez - Dallas W.T.
White

Tate
Heitmeier - Mansfield
Lake Ridge

Jonathan
Hobart - McKinney

Donte
Howell - North
Mesquite

Noah
Ingram - Mesquite
Poteet

Bryce
Jackson - Denton
Guyer

Anthony
Kantzabedian - Plano
West

Hogan
Keasler - Midlothian
Heritage

Eric
Knight - West
Mesquite

Tony
Krasniqi - Sachse

Zeke
Kuyawa - Mansfield
Timberview

Khalil
Lewis - McKinney
North

Eric
Loop - Coppell

Brady
Marek - Keller

Ian
McIver - Keller
Central

Caleb
McKee - Arlington

Jay
Mendenhall - Richardson
J.J. Pearce

Ryan
Miller - Southlake
Carroll

Eric
Mills - Keller
Timber Creek

Solomon
Mitchell - Dallas
Kimball

Caleb
Moore - Frisco Lone
Star

Cody
Morris - Dallas
Adamson

Adin
Morris-Barksdale - Dallas
North Dallas

Brandon
Motes - Rowlett

Michael
Mulholland - Granbury

Josue
Munoz - Mansfield
Summit

Jacob
Nordin - Carrollton
Newman Smith

Dayo
Odeyingbo - Carrollton
Ranchview

Mario
Ortiz - Colleyville
Heritage

Jacob
Palisch - Dallas
Jesuit

Aaron
Ragas Jr. - Plano
Senior

Ruben
Ramirez - Carrollton
R.L. Turner

Eduardo
Ramos - Dallas
Roosevelt

Stone
Ramsey - Dallas
Bryan Adams

Terreon
Randolph - Dallas
Skyline

Brandon
Reeves - Krum

Idahosa
Robinson - Dallas
Lincoln

Jack
Rouse - Richardson
Berkner

Elijah
Rusche - Trophy Club
Byron Nelson

Samuel
Schaefer - Fort
Worth Paschal

Noah
Sims - Frisco
Centennial

Miklo
Smalls - Plano East

Iran
Smith - Dallas South
Oak Cliff

Anton
Stewart - Dallas
Hillcrest

George
Stewart - Highland
Park

Tyler
Sutton - Fort Worth
Western Hills

Travis
Taylor - Garland
Naaman Forest

Luis
Trejo - Dallas
Thomas Jefferson

Jalan
Veasley - Richardson

Anthony
Vogel - Lucas
Lovejoy

Cailon
Washington - North
Crowley

Drake
Wayland - Midlothian

Gregory
Weather - Dallas
Wilmer-Hutchins

Josh
Whitlock - Mansfield

T.J.
Williams - South
Garland

The event
also paid tribute to several outstanding individuals for their
contributions to the game and the North Texas region. Previously announced
honorees included NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell, who accepted the Distinguished Texan Award,
the chapter’s most prestigious honor.

Other honorees
included Dallas businessman and former State Fair of Texas Chairman Pete Schenkel, who received the
chapter's Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award, and former
Dallas Carter High School head football coach Freddie James, who received the Legends Award. The Steve
Storie Official of the Year Award went to George Shoup, an official for the Big 12, Mountain West and
Southland conferences, while the Media Person of the Year Award went to The Dallas Morning News’ Matt Wixon.

High
school coach honorees included 6A Coach of the Year Todd Peterman (DeSoto), 5A Coach of the Year Randy Allen(Highland Park),
3A Coach of the Year Jake Fieszel(Gunter)
and Assistant Coach of the Year Grayson
Wells(Highland Park).